Last year the San Diego Management and Monitoring Program began coordinating efforts to monitor rare plant species in western San Diego County. This effort is part of implementing the Management Strategic Plan (MSP) developed for the San Diego Association of Governments which identifies and prioritizes monitoring and management of multiple species and habitats on Conserved Lands across the region (http://sdmmp.com/reportsandproducts/ManagementStrategicPlan.aspx). The MSP has an "Inspect and Manage" objective for 29 rare plant species. A protocol that assesses the status, habitat conditions, and level of threats for rare plant occurrences and identifies management needs was developed and tested in 2014. The results will be used to inform local management activities and to prioritize regional funding for management of rare plant occurrences.

We will again coordinate the monitoring effort in 2015. We invite land managers, botanists, and volunteers to join us in monitoring rare plant occurrences. Some land managers have indicated they could use volunteers to assist with the monitoring. We could use the help of experienced botanists to volunteer in collecting monitoring data or training other volunteers. We are holding a coordination meeting on Tuesday, February 17th from 10:00 am to noon in conference room 103 at the US Geological Survey offices at 4165 Spruance Road, San Diego. If there is interest, we can also hold a training session for using the protocol for those that didn't attend last year's training session or would like a refresher course. The list of species we have identified for monitoring in 2015 is here.

Please RSVP to let us know if you will be attending the coordination meeting and w